By Sportsbeat
October 13 2014
Iain Grieve remains defiant that he has no regrets over signing for Plymouth Albion, insisting instead that he is relishing the chance to bring a change in fortunes to the club after a difficult start to the Greene King IPA Championship season.
The 27-year-old was released by Bristol in the summer following nine years of service and wasted no time in finding a new home as he quickly put pen to paper on a contract at Brickfields.
But while his former side are setting the pace at the top this term with five wins from as many games, it is a completely different story for Plymouth who are yet to taste victory – a 64-16 loss to London Scottish last time out leaving them bottom of the league.
Grieve was immediately installed as captain upon arrival by head coach James Shanahan, but he wasn’t the only new face as no less than 18 players were brought in to swell the ranks.
And although it will clearly take time for the squad to gel, Grieve insists he is not about to hit the panic button any time soon.
“So far it’s been enjoyable, obviously not winning our first five games has been the un-enjoyable bit, but that’s rugby and we just have to get on with it,” he said.
“As a team we are still learning and are starting to find out what we need to do to close out games.
“We have experienced players at nine and ten who run the show for us and some experienced forwards who have played in the Premiership and in France.
“It’s just a matter of trying to get everyone to stick to the same game plan, stick to the same style of play and start to win matches.
“As a team we are learning and we are starting to find what we need to do to close out games but at the moment we just don't have that, but it’s not far off hopefully.”
And while Bristol might have installed themselves as early front-runners for the title, regular rugby on the South Coast is ample compensation for Grieve.
“I had a good time at Bristol, I enjoyed it and they treated me really nicely up there and I’ve got a lot of fond memories from there,” he added.
“But I had a good chat with [James] Shanahan and when Plymouth offered me a contract. I saw it as a new challenge, a new chapter and an opportunity to play more rugby than in my last season at Bristol.”
Formed in 2009, the Greene King IPA Championship is the second tier of professional rugby union in England. To keep up-to-date with all the latest news follow @ChampRugby on Twitter, or visit www.rfu.com/championship
View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.